Broward may allow 'stationary' food trucks in unincorporated areas

May 23, 2014|By Brittany Wallman, Sun Sentinel

Responding to a plea from the financially struggling unincorporated zone, Broward County is considering allowing food trucks to park and stay.

Unlike in other locales, like Hollywood and Sunrise, the food trucks wouldn't converge for a short-time, special event. Instead, just one food truck would be allowed in a location, and it woudn't have to leave for several years.

The county is calling the trucks "stationary mobile food units.''

Currently, food trucks are allowed in some parts of the unincorporated central Broward area, but they cannot stop, stand or park.

The rules are needed, proponents say, to give entrepreneurs a chance to start small, build a clientele and one day progress into a brick-and-mortal restaurant.

Broward County Commissioner Dale Holness, who is pushing for the new regulations, said there are too many obstacles facing businesspeople in the central Broward zone.

The proposal would help two existing mobile barbecue operations in the district: Hot Boyz BBQ outside of Source 1 Cafe, and Antonio Grill Masters. Both are located on Northwest 27th Avenue, north of Broward Boulevard.

"You know, barbecue in the black community is like sushi to the Japanese,'' said Holness, who is black. "A lot of folks in this community love barbecues, like it on the weekends especially. We take this away from our communities, we're taking a lot away. ... We will make it impossible for these folks to do something that is practically natural.''

Broward commissioners have debated the proposal twice and are expected to vote on it later this year.

"The only thing that the people are asking for here is an opportunity to succeed,'' said former County Commissioner Josephus Eggelletion, whose sister Loretta London owns Source 1 Cafe where outdoor grilling and barbecue sales take place.